Nick Chubb suffered a brutal knee injury last week on Monday Night Football. It was a crushing blow for anyone who rostered him in their Fantasy football lineups and to football fans in general. Fantasy football and professional football are similar in the need to focus on the 'Next man up' mindset and the Browns brought in a former Cleveland running back to help the backfield situation. Cleveland signed Kareem Hunt to take carries with Jerome Ford, but where does every running back belong in the Week 3 Fantasy football rankings?
Ford, a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, rushed for 106 yards on 16 carries against the Steelers in Week 2. Should you feel comfortable starting Ford in your Week 3 Fantasy football lineups? The Browns play the Titans, who have one of the best rushing defenses in the NFL. So is this an opportunity to raise Deshaun Watson and Browns pass-catchers in the Week 3 Fantasy football rankings? Before you lock in your Week 3 Fantasy football lineups, be sure to check out the Week 3 Fantasy football rankings from the advanced computer model at SportsLine.
When it comes to ranking players, SportsLine's model beat human experts in Fantasy football for the past several seasons especially when there were big differences in ranking. Over the course of a season, that could literally be the difference between winning your league or going home empty-handed.
Now, the model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, has revealed its Fantasy football rankings for Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season. Head to SportsLine now to see these weekly Fantasy football rankings.
Top Week 3 Fantasy football picks
One player the model is high on this week: Texans receiver Nico Collins. He is emerging as the go-to receiver in an offense that will likely need to throw often due to game script. The third-year receiver had seven receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown last week, posting his first 100-yard game in 26 career contests.
C.J. Stroud, the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, had 47 attempts and threw for 384 yards last week, the most passing yards for a Texans quarterback since Deshaun Watson in Week 5 of the 2019 season. The Texans trailed the Colts 28-10 at halftime and needed to throw often in the second half. They are 8.5-point underdogs to the Jaguars in the latest Week 3 NFL odds, so it's realistic they'll find themselves in a pass-happy game script again. Collins leads the team in targets (20), receptions (13) and yards (226) and could find himself in another prominent role on Sunday.
And a massive shocker: Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who is coming off three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and is rostered in 98% of leagues, stumbles big-time and doesn't even crack the top 45 at his position. Washington is off to a 2-0 start and new starting quarterback Sam Howell has played well, but the connection hasn't been there early in the season between McLaurin and Howell.
McLaurin was only targeted four times and finished with two catches for 31 yards in Week 1 against the Cardinals. He followed that up with five catches for 54 yards on six targets in Week 2 against the Broncos, but salvaged his Fantasy performance with a touchdown. However, now he gets a difficult matchup against a Bills defense that has only given up 302 passing yards so far this season. For more start/sit Fantasy football advice, be sure to check out the rest of the Week 3 Fantasy football rankings.
How to set Week 3 Fantasy football rankings
The model is also calling for a surprising running back you aren't even thinking about to finish in the top five of its Week 3 Fantasy football rankings. This pick could be the difference between winning big and going home with nothing. See the Fantasy football QB, RB, WR, TE, defense and kicker rankings here.
So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising running back could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 3 Fantasy football rankings for every position, plus see which RB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top five, all from the model that has outperformed experts big-time.
